Select criteria that you will look for in a civil engineering college. Examples include low student to teacher ratio or a focus on practical and fieldwork modules. Group the related criteria in the list together to create four to six general sections.
Make a list of colleges, grouping them by the geographic region you prefer or by the courses that appeal on initial viewing. Put the list in alphabetical order to give structure to your rating system.
Assign marks. Give each college a mark of one to five for the criteria listed in each section. Use prospectuses and existing rankings to help you. Interview the department heads and people at top civil engineering companies to see how they rate the college. Visit each college to give you a better indication of the atmosphere. To make the ranking system more interesting, use stars instead of points.
Note any remarkable features of the college. Give each feature three bonus stars. Bonus stars are reserved for things that are particularly important to you, such as a 100 percent exam-based course or a high percentage of employment in top tier civil engineering firms.
Total the scores and rank the colleges. This gives you an indication of the best colleges for civil engineering.